Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson is confident Lance Franklin will stay at the Hawks

HAWTHORN superstar Lance Franklin should suit up for the first time on Saturday since postponing contract talks, with coach Alastair Clarkson still confident he wants to stay at the club.

Franklin is expected to be joined by fellow star Cyril Rioli as well as recycled recruits Brian Lake, Jonathan Simpkin and Matt Spangher.

They will be among a blend of old and new Hawks chosen for the 34-man squad to take on Brisbane and the Gold Coast in the club's first hit-out since last year's Grand Final defeat.

Franklin (knee cyst) and Rioli (corked quad) both sidestepped the Indigenous All-Stars game against Richmond, but are expected to play if they get through training this week.

Hawthorn expects Luke Hodge (knee) and Shaun Burgoyne (knee) to be ready to play late in the NAB Cup.But like many clubs it has issues with how it can ease injured players back into a contest with three interchange players, a substitute, and an 80-cap interchange.

Hawthorn fans have expressed concern about the ramifications of Franklin's contract postponement, but according to Clarkson on SEN Radio the AFL industry will have to get used to that ploy.

"At some point in time he'll sit down with all the information that's available to him, and I think he just genuinely wants to see how this footy season unfolds before he makes a decision on where he wants to play his footy in 2014," Clarkson said.

"(There's) a very, very high chance that that's at the Hawthorn footy club. Staying in one place for nine years is a long time now and that's another thing we've got to get used to.

"He's got a contract at our football club for season 2013 and we're going to do everything we can to ensure that that's good for both of us and we'll see what happens at the end of the year. But we're hopeful he'll obviously stay and continue to contribute for the Hawks."

Hawthorn expects to showcase a host of youngsters in the first week of the NAB Cup given the limit of only 22 players later in the tournament limits its options.

It means youngsters like Jed Anderson, Will Langford, Luke Lowden, Mitch Hallahan and Jordan Kelly are likely to see game time on Saturday.

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